This imo is the main reason Homelander couldn’t lift the plane and it says something interesting about his powers.
Lots of people have argued about whether or not Homelander would’ve been able to lift the plane in season 1 of the boys. A common criticism is that he has super strength, so it doesn’t make sense that he couldn’t lift it. Here’s my opinion: his ability to fly isn’t the same and isn’t as strong as his ability to lift heavy objects. Sure, he has the muscle strength to lift a plane, but he needs leverage to do so. This is why he says to Maeve “there’s nothing to stand on.” Sure, he can fly fast and he can carry a few people in his hands while doing it, but his flight strength is still relatively weaker and more limited.
Think of it like this. Let’s say you can easily float in deep water. You can also easily carry a 30lb dumbbell. But can you do both at the same time? No, you would sink. You have good swimming ability but it has its limits. If something too dense and heavy weighs you down, you’re going down. You have the strength to carry 30lbs, but you need something to stand on while doing it.
That’s how I view the scene, and I like it for using a different type of logic from what you usually see in superhero media.