I used to have recurring dreams (before I learned to drive) about being in a car and having to drive it somewhere. The sense of panic and urgency in each dream was horrific. Once I learned to drive, my recurring dream switched to being one where I have to run somewhere but it's like my feet are in treacle.

It sounds like yours is similar - the plane is just the vehicle for your anxiety to hang itself on- your subconscious knows you are scared of flying so mashes your conscious worry with that.
Make a note of when they occur and you should be able to pinpoint the trigger for your anxiety in your waking life.
Good luck!

Motifs: Feeling stuck in your life
Not being in control (someone else flying the plane and making decisions)
Feeling in danger.

Anything ringing a bell OP?

I get the sense that you struggle to reach your life goals. Whatever you try never quite gets you where you wanted to go, and the latest version (Wales instead of NY) suggests there's a current life situation in which you're a long way from where you really want/need to be. A feeling of failure (possible fear of success) permeates your sense of self, perhaps. In 'waking life' your anxieties manifest in fears such as that of flying, which you can rationalise (air/sky) but it's considerably more difficult for you to make the kind of sense of deeper 'self' issues that have prevented you getting where you wanted to be in life, at times. That familiar feeling that when you do try to aim for personal and/or professional goals it often seems like factors out of your control (the broken wing mirror or the really heavy cloud) work against your conscious intentions. You want and have always wanted to be 'flying' in life, but frequently end up crawling at ground level with feelings of disappointment, confusion and "how do other people do it? It rarely ever works for me." Also likely that a 'part' of you (unconscious subpersonality) feels defeated at times and gives up on the goal out of anger (and self-sabotage).

That "plane that just won't take off" might be how you feel deeply about your life, and/or your self. Situations that make you anxious and panicky when awake are subtle channels for existential fears, like your 'being in the world' following a pattern from early years of finding it difficult to really 'take off' as your authentic self, and to feel trust that you understand what you need to get where you really want to be, instead of ending up in places (situations) that look nothing like where you thought you were going. Is that a familiar perception of your self/life, if you think about how you really feel?

A useful tool for getting closer to the personal meaning of your own dreams, if you're interested, is to try to recall and name the feelings or emotional states you experience in them. Can you recall and name any of the feelings from this recurring dream over the years? Also can be useful to create a time line with phases in your life when you had the dream quite often, and the things that were challenging, troubling and difficult in situations, relationships and your inner sense of being (eg. depression, intrusive thoughts) at the time.

If this helps at all, great :) Anything that doesn't seem to fit, please ignore.

Another reading of the dream pattern is that you have a potentially bipolar orientation to life (earth and sky), or tend to get stuck in depression as opposed to enjoying 'higher' feeling states (joy, happiness). Could be useful to focus on what you know makes you feel good and fulfilled instead of doing what you know from experience is self-defeating. Easier said than done for many of us, but your dream might be trying to. encourage you to challenge an assumption about yourself that you can't be happier than you are, rather than staying stuck in behaviours and attitudes that you know deep down work against you.

^ And reading it that way, the heavy cloud might indicate that your experience of 'being in the world' (existential phrase) as a baby/small child was one of 'good' feelings being marred by burdens or oppressive feelings that you couldn't master or get through. That became a repeating experience for you, or how life just 'felt' or 'was' (from your perspective).

Apologies if this is completely off beam or unhelpful, I'm not an expert but have some experience.

It’s interesting your flight was going to New York. What does that mean to you? To me I think it would symbolise ambition and career goals, but it’s your dream. I agree with previous posters it’s likely to be about frustrated ambition.

^ And reading it that way, the heavy cloud might indicate that your experience of 'being in the world' (existential phrase) as a baby/small child was one of 'good' feelings being marred by burdens or oppressive feelings that you couldn't master or get through. That became a repeating experience for you, or how life just 'felt' or 'was' (from your perspective).

Apologies if this is completely off beam or unhelpful, I'm not an expert but have some experience.

Metaphorically, your mode of transportation isn’t working. It’s not getting you where you want to go, it’s unreliable. This is your thought process being represented. Your mind. The air, the intellect. You’re not engaged with expansive thinking, can only get to Wales not NYC. So, what are you pondering? What in your life are you having trouble getting off the ground?

Sorry for the repeat post, my phone was between hotspots!

You struggle to complete anything, you feel disorganised.