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Airplane Crash Dreams

Airplane Crash Dreams

Old Oct 18, 2017, 7:02 pm
  #16  
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From what I remember about Freud's theory, dreams are often a window into your subconscious concerns or worries. OP, perhaps you are concerned about being in an airplane crash, but suppressing this concern from your conscious thought?
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Old Oct 18, 2017, 9:01 pm
  #17  
 
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I have had several airplane crash dream, in all of which I was a passenger. I always wake up right before impact. Considering how rarely I can remember my dreams, I suspect this has perhaps happened even more often.

But probably my most common nightmares of any kind are about travel crises in general. For instance, realizing I have the time wrong (or day!) and can't get ready in time. Or showing up at the wrong airport. Or without a ticket. Even more common with me are crazy airports where you can't find anything and your flight is leaving. I once had a dream where the airport was like Hogwarts, and the corridors and gates kept changing position and re-connecting in different patterns.
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Old Oct 18, 2017, 9:35 pm
  #18  
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Nothing unusual about dreams of crashing. Most of mine are at low altitude with a 90 degree roll to clear buildings. My dream will not let me crash and hurt myself.

If you wake up dead I strongly advise you to see a shrink
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 1:25 am
  #19  
 
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Don't have them as much however when I was younger, it was a weekly dream for me. Either the plane would do some crazy stunts and never crash, or I'd wake up just as it crashed.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 5:04 am
  #20  
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Yes, but only witnessing them not being on the plane.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 8:28 am
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Originally Posted by Badenoch
Yes, but only witnessing them not being on the plane.
Same here. I have dreams of seeing a plane crash at least once a month. Timing isn't tied to upcoming trips, thank goodness.

Sometime after my son was born and I hit my mid-thirties, I developed a fear of flying. I continued to fly anyway but eventually had to take Ativan pre-flight to keep the panic attacks under control.

It doesn't help that I know one family that died in a plane crash (dad was a the pilot) and two separate groups of friends that walked away from minor crashes (one on a corporate jet, one was piloting his own plane carrying his family).

Statistically I know flying is safer than driving but my anxiety sleep brain dwells on planes, not cars.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 8:34 am
  #22  
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Originally Posted by Lovethecabin
It doesn't help that I know one family that died in a plane crash (dad was a the pilot) and two separate groups of friends that walked away from minor crashes (one on a corporate jet, one was piloting his own plane carrying his family).
I failed to mention that my biological father (didn't raise me) died in a private plane crash (he was the pilot) when I was 11. Maybe that's still bouncing around in my sleeping mind. I love flying, always have, hopefully always will.
I think my dreams are more a result of my occupation than anything else.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 8:41 am
  #23  
 
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Sorry about your father, that would have a lasting impact I'm sure.

Almost feel stupid telling my dreams now, but:

The most frequent one is that we are flying really low, between buildings, just missing the skyscrapers on each side by inches.

I also recently had one that we were plummeting to earth.

And my see from the ground one is I'm watching it crash into a field, and I ask people around me "where are we?" and they say "Baltimore". It was years before I would fly into BWI, until the time I was "tricked" into it, got bumped onto a flight that made an intermediate stop...in BWI.

I've been at both ORD (AA back in the late 70s, early 80s) and JFK (Columbia airlines) the nights of their big crashes.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 9:39 am
  #24  
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I too have dreams about witnessing plane crashes. In each dream, I actually think to myself - this one is real! The thing is, most of the dreams are quite weird - something like a 747 that crashes, but actually bounces a couple of times before it comes to a stop after which everybody walks off.

I have actually witnessed 2 crashes at airshows... so I think that may have something to do with it.

I'm also a pretty nervous flyer.

Another recurring dream I have is about flying out of LHR. In the dream, there is another runway that can only be accessed by road. So, the plane taxis out onto the road before turning off into a field and then onto the runway. Bizarre.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 12:33 pm
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Originally Posted by Lovethecabin
Statistically I know flying is safer than driving but my anxiety sleep brain dwells on planes, not cars.
That statistic is for scheduled airline flying. Flying small planes is much more dangerous than driving a car. The last time I worked the numbers, being a private pilot was about as dangerous as being a motorcycle driver.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 2:48 pm
  #26  
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Originally Posted by Eujeanie
Sorry about your father, that would have a lasting impact I'm sure.

Almost feel stupid telling my dreams now, but:

The most frequent one is that we are flying really low, between buildings, just missing the skyscrapers on each side by inches.

I also recently had one that we were plummeting to earth.

And my see from the ground one is I'm watching it crash into a field, and I ask people around me "where are we?" and they say "Baltimore". It was years before I would fly into BWI, until the time I was "tricked" into it, got bumped onto a flight that made an intermediate stop...in BWI.

I've been at both ORD (AA back in the late 70s, early 80s) and JFK (Columbia airlines) the nights of their big crashes.
I have something similar to Eujeanie's skyscraper dream. In mine, I'm on a plane that's either taking off or landing adjacent a steep mountain (picture taking off via the landing route at the old Hong Kong airport) and we risk touching down on the highway, have to dodge wires, etc.
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Old Oct 20, 2017, 5:42 am
  #27  
 
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I have dreamt of airplane crashes many, many times. Sometimes I witness them from the ground. When I was a youngster the Concorde came to JNB for "hot-and-high" testing. It made numerous circuits over our house and obviously made a deep impression on me because one night I dreamt it crashed! There was also an airfield near our house and often on Saturdays planes like Tiger Moths would do aerobatics with spectacular loops and spirals etc. That was fertile fodder for my crash dreams at the time.

But nowadays I am usually on the aircraft that crashes. Usually there is first a lot of detail about the interior and the seating arrangements - which are invariably totally bizarre (but I still manage to obsess about which are the best seats!). Then I become aware that the aircraft is struggling or losing altitude and it becomes obvious we are going to crash. Oddly I don't feel complete panic; it's more like resignation and "oh sh.. , here we go".

On several occasions while sleeping on an aircraft I have dreamt that we are losing altitude and are going to crash. I wake up and have to gauge the motion of the aircraft and listen carefully to the sound of the engines to reassure myself that all is normal before I can relax.

Originally Posted by chgoeditor
I have something similar to Eujeanie's skyscraper dream. In mine, I'm on a plane that's either taking off or landing adjacent a steep mountain (picture taking off via the landing route at the old Hong Kong airport) and we risk touching down on the highway, have to dodge wires, etc.
Most of my crash dreams these days involve very low flying, trying to avoid various topological features - as has been mentioned by several people. Strange that this is so common seeing as it isn't something that ever happens in commercial flights!
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Old Oct 20, 2017, 6:03 am
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by Cheetah_SA
Most of my crash dreams these days involve very low flying, trying to avoid various topological features - as has been mentioned by several people. Strange that this is so common seeing as it isn't something that ever happens in commercial flights!
Ever play any of the flight sims? That's my normal landing approach in FSX. And i do have that dream, once in a while.
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Old Oct 20, 2017, 7:24 am
  #29  
 
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Interesting!

My philosophy is that our dreams are related in some ways to our spectacular mash of subconscious thoughts, even if they may not be prophetic in any particular way (unlike one friend of mine who considers herself quite the dream-guru...)

Since many of us spend a lot of spare time contemplating travel, airports and aviation, perhaps it makes sense that our experiences come to light in our dreams.

Haven't had an airplane crash dream yet. However, when overly tired or stressed, sometimes I'll get those missed connections, delayed or canceled flights.

Once I dreamt that I was running through the terminal in an attempt to get to the gate on time, only to discover that I had no clothes on aside from underwear. So there were two options: return home to get some clothes, and hence miss the flight. Or run to the gate to catch the flight in my underwear and just re-stock on the clothes at the other end...

That said, no 'op-up' dreams to date!
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Old Oct 20, 2017, 7:44 am
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by VivoPerLei
Ever play any of the flight sims? That's my normal landing approach in FSX. And i do have that dream, once in a while.
No I haven't, so that can't explain my dreams.
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