The Power of Human Factors

By Zoe Cameron-Casey

I have always wanted to be a pilot. I set my sights on the career when I was still in primary school and never wavered from the plan as I grew up. Even a near-fatal aircraft accident during my initial flying training in New Zealand, long before joining an airline, didn’t stop me from following that dream.

However, that experience did open my eyes to the importance of Human Factors.

The engine of the single-engine aircraft I was flying failed, something that should not have happened. It made me think about Reason’s Swiss Cheese Model: the holes in the cheese all lined up to allow the accident to occur. We later found out that there was a fault with the engine which only happened at low power. This fault, combined with a plan to carry out only an approach and low-level go-around to an island airstrip in New Zealand rather than landing, due to the windy conditions all lined up as threats on the day. When I tried to go around at low level…the engine failed.

My instructor took control. He kept calm, and his training ensured that the startle didn’t affect his performance. We only just made the runway, if we had been a few feet lower, we would have flown straight into the side of the hill the runway sat on, we clipped the ferns growing at the edge of the airfield, three feet lower and I wouldn’t be writing this today. But the windy conditions then took control of the aeroplane, the wing snapped on landing, the engine restarted (all part of the fault it had), and the propeller broke apart. By the time we came to a stop, the aircraft was badly damaged. I escaped with only minor injuries, but my instructor had a piece of propeller protruding from his forehead.

My return to flying afterwards was tough. I knew very little about Human Factors at that point and didn’t understand that my brain had developed a negative mental schema around flying, something it did to try to protect me. I became nervous of flying single-engine aircraft, always worrying that the engine would fail again. Yet that experience became a turning point: it sparked my lifelong interest in Human Factors in aviation.

Today, I’ve been teaching Human Factors for several years and am partway through my second year of an MSc in Human Factors in Aviation.

Human Factors, at its heart, is about understanding how people think, feel, and behave under pressure. How we can design systems, training, and habits to keep ourselves and others safe. It’s the science behind good decision-making, calm under stress, and teamwork when things get tough. In aviation, those lessons are non-negotiable, they save lives.

But outside of aviation, I noticed a gap. Every year, thousands of young people earn their driving licences, yet within their first 12 months on the road, one in five new drivers will crash. Out of all of the road traffic accidents that occur in the UK for drivers of all experience levels, 90-95% are caused by a human factor. I couldn’t stop wondering: what if they had access to the same Human Factors tools we use in aviation? What if we taught drivers to think like pilots - to anticipate risk, manage their workload, and stay composed under pressure?

That’s where C² Human Factors was born.

C² Human Factors is my company dedicated to bringing aviation’s Human Factors principles into everyday life. Our first programme, Human Factors DRIVETM, is designed specifically for drivers. It helps them understand the psychology of risk, emotion, and distraction - turning what aviation has learned from decades of safety culture into practical, relatable lessons for the road. The idea is simple: aviation has spent decades turning deadly mistakes into teachable moments through Human Factors science, drivers deserve the same safety culture.

What inspires me most about this work is the ripple effect. The same awareness that helps a pilot manage stress or a driver avoid distraction can also help someone navigate everyday challenges - a tough day at work, a high-pressure decision, or that moment when emotion threatens to override logic. It’s about building resilience and self-awareness - skills that serve us far beyond the flight deck or the car.

As a woman in aviation, I’ve always believed visibility matters. When I wrote Ada and Emily Take to the Skies! - a children’s book introducing girls to aviation and STEM - I wanted to show young readers that the sky truly is for everyone. That same belief fuels C² Human Factors: that knowledge and confidence can save lives, open doors, and inspire change when shared widely.

For women pursuing careers in aviation - or any field that feels challenging or male-dominated - my advice is this: stay motivated, stay resilient, and keep your sense of purpose close. Human Factors has taught me that confidence isn’t about never feeling uncertain; it’s about learning to manage uncertainty well. The best pilots - and the best leaders - aren’t fearless; they’re self-aware.

Today, my mission is to take those lessons out of the cockpit and into cars, classrooms, and communities, helping the next generation think, decide, and drive like professionals who understand their human limitations and their human potential. Whether you’re flying an airliner or learning to drive, safety starts not just with skill, but with mindset.