I am currently training for my commercial Pilot check ride and I am trying to execute the short field spot landing. Under FAA ACS standards you have to hit your spot within -0 to + 100 feet. I live in New Mexico USA where the winds can be quite unpredictable and I am having a hard time knowing where to aim to hit my spot. It seems that with a sizeable headwind the airplane does not want to float as it would if there was not any wind. In fact with a 15 knot headwind it seems like the plane does not want to float at all, almost like ground effect isn't there.
My understanding of ground effect is that it is basically the planes wake being reflected back to the wings creating a high pressure area under the wings and consequently increasing lift. However, if there is a headwind when landing, wouldn't the wind blow the wake of the aircraft away from the wings and reduce ground effect? Reversely if you have a tailwind wouldn't that blow the aircraft's wake further under the wings? That would explain why a plane seems to float forever when landing with a tailwind.