Originally Posted by
esa17
I have never understood the "dress up" for a checkride thing. As a result, I've never done it. I think it is much more important to be comfortable. If a shirt is what adjusts your attitude then the shirt isn't the problem, it's you're attitude. I'm not recommending that anyone take a checkride in ratty jeans and a ripped shirt but anything more than a polo shirt and a nice pair of pants is over kill in my opinion. Hell, I've never even taken a ride without my hat.
You are correct in that your appearance shouldn't dictate pass/fail and your attitude. Where it does come into play is the first impression with the examininer especially if you have not met them before. This in addition to being appropiately prepared: logbooks ready to go, FTN #s, and x-c laid out says to the examiner quite a bit about you.
Does it make the checkride any easier or harder? Probably not but it does start off on the right foot, making that inevitable minor mistake easier to swallow. Buisness casual is what I have my students utilize as a dress code min. You may want to go buisness formal with the FAA for the CFI intial because they get a hard-on for that kind of stuff.