RE: Need inexpensive setup...
One of the best plane-search setups I've seen was based on a $49 still digital camera called the Aiptek. The guy flew over the suspected areas and snapped digital still pics of the suspected areas, then reviewed the photos later.
The good part about using the still camera is that the resolution of even the cheapest camera (like the Aiptek) is going to better than the resolution of a video image. The downside is that if you don't have a laptop you have to go home to review and print the pictures, and make a second trip out to the field for the recovery.
Regards,
Bill