Come in from behind and keep a little forward thrust vector (about one notch on the gauge) until you are almost aboard. Toggle off the cockpit view so you can see down. You are now full TV and landing gear. Then just push the stick forward to move aboard and use the throttle to go up and down. Like 8 says, practice but once you have it, you can hover all around the ship, fly sideways onto the pad anything a helicopter does.
Hinch's ships are to scale. That landing pad it to scale according to the pilot who flew the mission. It IS tight.