Editing New Orleans Class (section)

==SHUTTLEBAYS==

One Main Shuttlebay serves all the necessary auxiliary flight needs of the starship.  Spreading across Decks 3 and 4, the bay is also supported by machine shop and maintenance facilities below it on Deck 5. Approximately 35% of bay storage compartments is reserved for mission-specific craft of various types, as well as leaving space for craft from other vessels or stations to dock for the duration of their stay.  

Due to the nature of the ship's ability to be customized for mission-specific applications, Cargo Bays 7-9 are equipped with fuel transfer lines and necessary equipment to convert them into limited launch and recovery facilities for shuttle operations. This practice normally comes into use when the vessel is used for colonization activities, where the need for transfers of large amount of materials and people is hampered by local phenomena that prevent safe transport, such as some worlds undergoing terraforming activity that may interfere with transporter beams.  

A landing on Deck 3 houses a sealed space/air-traffic control room known as "Flight Ops," which handles all flight operations locally.  Flight Ops works in conjunction with the duty Operations Officer on the bridge by taking much of the burden of coordination involving scheduling, launch and recovering of shuttles and other auxiliary craft.