When leaving ground effect at a given angle of attack, what happens to the effective angle of attack?

When an aircraft leaves ground effect, the effective angle of attack decreases due to changes in the airflow around the wings. Ground effect alters the lift characteristics by influencing the air pressure distribution under the wings. Within ground effect, the aircraft experiences an increase in lift because the proximity of the ground affects the airflow, reducing the induced drag and allowing the wings to generate lift more efficiently.

As the aircraft ascends and moves out of ground effect, this beneficial influence diminishes. The reduced lift requires the pilot to increase the angle of attack to maintain the same level of lift that was felt in ground effect. However, at the moment of leaving ground effect, the aircraft's nose will naturally drop slightly, leading to a decrease in the effective angle of attack.

Thus, in the absence of additional control input to maintain or increase the angle of attack, it will decrease as the aircraft leaves ground effect, making the statement that the effective angle of attack decreases accurate in this context.