John Hallwood made difficult things look easy, whether piloting a jetliner, mastering the intricacies of foreign exchange trading or simply pulling in a bigger fish than his buddies.
Mr. Hallwood, who logged 17,000 hours during 25 years as an Eastern Air Lines pilot, flew with a relaxed, confident manner, said a fellow retired Eastern pilot, Al Stanley of Sharpsburg. "John knew his job and was always well-prepared," he said.
The two of them went through Eastern's training together in Miami in the late 1960s. While other pilots had to cram for hours, Mr. Hallwood would watch TV in the same unruffled manner that he exhibited in the cockpit and still would ace his training course tests, Mr. Stanley said.
"John was a dear friend, a fine pilot, but not a good fishing buddy," Mr. Stanley added. "Whenever we went fishing together, he always made the biggest catches."
Mr. Hallwood was an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Airline Personnel, an organization with members in 44 countries. He attended its annual conventions, wrote articles for its monthly newsletter and twice visited Israel with other FCAP members. On one of those occasions, he was baptized in the Jordan River by FCAP's founder, Joe Ivey of Fayetteville, a former Delta pilot.
Mr. Ivey recalled once having a conversation with Mr. Hallwood when someone casually mentioned "God is my co-pilot," a popular saying among airline people. "John remarked that God wasn't his co-pilot; God was his captain, the one who really was at the controls," Mr. Ivey said.
John Edward Hallwood, 64, of Peachtree City died May 28 of lung cancer complications at Southwest Christian Care Hospice, Union City. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Carriage Lane Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Carriage Lane church, 101 Carriage Lane, Peachtree City, GA 30269-1323. Metro Embalming and Crematory, Conyers, is in charge of arrangements.
In retirement, Mr. Hallwood got interested in foreign exchange trading -- not just as a player, but also as a coach instructing newcomers to currency investing.
One of his former pupils, Chad Cummings of Peachtree City, said Mr. Hallwood was a great teacher, often using parallels from his experiences as an airline pilot to illustrate lessons in risk management.
"John did an excellent job of preparing me for the crazy world of foreign exchange trading, which is like the stock market on steroids -- it can be 10 times as volatile," Mr. Cummings said.
Another of Mr. Hallwood's retirement pursuits was Prime Time Paintball, a recreational enterprise that he and his wife Lane operated on a 12-acre property in Senoia.
"We started it because we enjoyed the company of young people, and the paintball competition was something they liked to do," she said. "But our customers also included office staffs who came to us looking for team-building exercises."
"John and Lane were safety-conscious and ran the show like a family operation," said Boots Carter of Lake Martin, Ala., a retired pilot for Atlantic Southeast Airlines. "So my wife and I always felt our son Adam was in good hands when he went there, first to take part in simulated combat, then to work as one of their staff members."
Mr. Hallwood also enjoyed getting together annually with friends from his old school, Miami Senior High School, Class of 1963, to go dove hunting in central Georgia. "John enjoyed it year after year. He was an experienced hunter and an excellent shot," said Bob Cook of Kathleen, who hosted the event.
Also surviving is a son, Patrick Hallwood of Atlanta.
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