Shuttle Bays - Decks 4 and 13
The Main Shuttle Bay is on Deck 4 with shuttle bays 2 and 3 (the minor ones) situated on Deck 13. This means that should the stardrive section and the saucer section be separated, both sections have shuttle access and egress.
Each bay is equipped to monitor takeoffs and landings, and also to provide various types of maintenance. A forcefield around each set of bay doors allows shuttles to enter and exit without undermining the integrity of the atmosphere inside the bay.
Flight operations are supervised by a Flight
Deck Officer who operates from a booth. This Officer reports to a Main Shuttlebay
Officer who is responsible for obtaining clearances etc from the Ops Officer on the
main bridge. 
USS Iliad carries up to 25 shuttles to ensure that there are sufficient shuttles to be used. There is always ongoing repair and maintenance of up to 15% of the ships complement of shuttles.
Under normal circumstances, landing is straightforward. The shuttle will receive clearance from the Flight Deck Officer when it is around 350 metres from the ship. The short range tractor beams are then used to latch onto the shuttle and guide her in. No help or assistance is required from the pilot of the shuttle. In the case of emergency, transporters can be used to beam the shuttle in. Occasionally, a shuttle will actually need to dock with the ship.
The shuttles are designed to protect any passengers from most forms of impact. Should there be any crash landing, an emergency beacon is automatically activated.