Hi there,
Ground effect has a lot, if not everything, to do with the reduction in induced drag as an aircraft flies close to the ground. When an aircraft is close to the ground, the ground itself effectively limits how much downwash is created past the trailing edge of the wing, so the relative airflow isn't at such a 'high' angle of attack than during normal flight.
A reduction in induced drag, to the pilot, is just more lift. This can sometimes explain overloaded aircraft accidents on takeoff. An overloaded aircraft may still be able to take off in ground effect, but once out of ground effect the now 'increased' induced drag causes the real weight of the aircraft to become apparent and the lift can no longer sustain the weight.
Low wing aircraft tend to float more when landing versus high wing aircraft, simply because the wings are closer to the ground!
Take a look at the first picture on this page, it gives a quick visual of the drag reducing in ground effect.
answers.learninginfo.org/ground-effect.htm
Hope this helps a little,
Cheers
