Numerical and experimental studies were performed to investigate the aerodynamic performance of a thin wing in close vicinity to the ground. The vortex lattice method (VLM) was utilized to simulate the wing in ground (WIG) effect, which included freely deforming wake elements. The numerical results acquired through the VLM were compared to the experimental results. The experiment entailed varying the ground clearance using the DHMTU (Department of Hydromechanics of the Marine Technical University of Saint Petersburg) wing and the WIG craft model in the wind tunnel. The aero-dynamic influence of the design parameters, such as angles of attack, aspect ratios, taper ratios, and sweep angles were studied and compared between the numerical and experimental results associated with the WIG craft. Both numerical and experimental results suggested that the endplate augments the WIG effect for a small ground clearance. In addition, the vortex lattice method simulated the wake deformation following the wing in the influence of the ground effect.