To explore the formation mechanism of safety working style among flight cadets, a hypothetical model was constructed based on the theory of planned behavior, incorporating organizational safety culture as an extended variable. Six questionnaires, including behavioral attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intention, safety working style and organizational safety culture, were compiled and distributed to 160 flight cadets. The feasibility of the theoretical model was analyzed through direct path effects, indirect path effects, and moderation effect analysis. The results indicate that the behavioral intention of flight cadets has a significant positive impact on their safety working style. Behavioral attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence safety working style primarily through behavioral intention. Additionally, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control can indirectly enhance behavioral intention through behavioral attitude, ultimately leading to a positive impact on safety working style. Furthermore, organizational safety culture plays a positive moderating role in the impact of behavioral intentions on flight cadets’ safety working style. These findings give new perspectives that it is significant to enhance flight cadets’ strong sense of safety responsibility, impose strict adherence to regulations and foster the integration of safety culture within civil aviation institutions which could effectively elevate their safety working style and ultimately ensure flight safety.