Mutliple aircrafts would fly IFR in the clouds without precisely knowing where traffic was.
ATC was of little help, mostly a distraction. (Ok, that's not Airserv's fault perhaps)
Weather info is/was provided to pilots by untrained, unknowledgeable ground staff. Case in point: On a flight from Goma to Shabunda, I was advised while enroute that weather at destination was "perfect" (whatever that means?!) only to find myself flying through thunderstorms and to discover Shabunda in low clouds/patchy fog/mist etc.
WELCOME TO AFRICA.. SORRY YOU WERE DISAPPOINTED
Flight dispatchers sometime would have us load AC to max gross in Goma and would have us land in Bukabu (a 15 minute flight) over max landing weight (Applies to C208).
SINCE WHEN DID YOU HAND OVER AUTHORITY TO DISPATCHERS.. YOU ARE THE PIC.. NOT ONCE DURING MY SEVERAL CONTRACTS WITH ASI WAS I ENCOURAGED TO GO OVERWEIGHT.
As for the temp pilot.. I don't know the circumstances but I'm very aware that from the day we commence ppl training we're forced to accept that to a large extent we are our own policeman... if this guy was unhappy about his ability to remain safe then he should have not have volunteered.