I second what compressor stall said.
You phoning up or emailing is pretty much useless. You *may* get lucky, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
You may have 1000 hours, but for charter you're less desirable right now than someone with 400 hours a bit of charter or scenic flying experience in a 200 series or airvan, unless of course you have META, then you're in a different basket all together.
There is movement happening, maybe not in the numbers of 2007, but there is definite movement happening. You'll just have to look around in areas that aren't your typical seasonal hiring places.
Flying up for a day or two is also not something I'd recommend, as you want to be johnny on the spot who's ready to start right away, not the guy that says "oh I fly back home in two days time and then can pack up my car and be back up in 10 days time".
Best of luck in your venture
