When my son was a baby, like many others, he had gas problems which kept him (and us) awake all night. I’m told I was the same.
I would try calming him down and putting him to sleep by holding him (in his infant seat) on the dryer as it was going.
If that didn’t work, and I was up to it, we’d go for a drive. That always put him to sleep.
Perhaps it’s the same with planes for us adults – maybe a stirring inside, a longing… the soporific effects of the engines’ sounds – sending us back to a more innocent time.