Getting an IFR clearance from a busy ATC facility can be a challenge when your departure runway points toward a major airport. Jeff Van West explores two alternatives for pilots departing Linden Airport under New York’s Class B airspace—and explains why one may work even when the weather rules out a typical VFR departure.

Modern avionics can make an instrument approach remarkably predictable. But every once in a while, the airplane does something you aren't expecting and that's when your instrument skills still matter. I was reminded of that recently while flying a Challenger into Jackson, Wyoming (JAC).