“Last night I dreamed that I was looking into the sky and saw three airplanes. Everyone was worried to see the first one swoop into a huge loop and fly very close to the ground, but it pulled up in time to avoid crashing. The second airplane did the same thing. It was scary but it didn’t crash either. But the third airplane didn’t pull up in time and it exploded in a fiery crash. I woke up terrified.” (F.H.)


Airplanes are a mode of transportation and travel so when they appear in dreams, they typically represent journeys. It can point to an actual physical trip or a spiritual journey. Although much depends upon the context of the dream, airplane dreams can reveal clues about the dreamer’s life path.

It is common, for example, for people to dream of seeing a loved one board an airplane just before he dies. But of course, not all airplane dreams are about departing this earth. It takes intuition during dream interpretation to tell the difference and a keen eye to note important details of the airplane and contextual clues in the dream.

The interpretation

Looking into the sky is different than seeing airplanes grounded on the tarmac. That the airplanes are in the sky is a positive sign that these three bodies are moving forward in life so far. However, the first airplane swoops into a huge loop. Because everyone was worried to see this, the loop indicates a precarious movement, not a showy one. But it did not crash. The second airplane did the same. The third, however, exploded in a fiery crash.

In his waking life, this dreamer is going through a particularly nasty, nightmarish divorce and has gained custody of his two little children. He worries about how they will handle the divorce but because he’s doing a great job of keeping their lives consistent, healthy and happy, he believes that they’ll adjust well in time (airplanes pulled up in time to avoid crash).

However, he is definitely more pessimistic about how he himself will survive the divorce. Indeed, he often voices during his waking hours that he feels this divorce has “ruined” him: his reputation, his finances, and his hopes for a peaceful, happy retirement. He has no intention of hooking up with another mate and feels that his own personal life is over (airplane exploding into fiery crash) as he made a decision to dedicate the rest of his life solely to raising his children.

Dream therapy

This dream is a way for the dreamer’s subconscious mind to vent his pent-up fears and frustrations about his current life situation; it does not mean that he is destined to crash and burn or that his future is hopeless. This is not a prophetic dream in any way. I encourage this dreamer to use creative visualization frequently during quiet times (meditation, before bedtime) to craft a more positive ending to this dream. Perhaps he can imagine three strong, mighty airplanes, leaving dark clouds behind, traveling through clear skies to exciting destinations. Feeling the details of the exhilaration of wind in their faces and power to soar will help manifest better feelings in his mind that will serve him well during his waking life. Focus on freedom and the ability to pilot his airplane!