RE: Seeing the engine on wing
Once talked with a pilot on a A310 who was jumpseating a Pan Am out of Hambug when an engine blew its turbine at rotation spraying pieces all over the place.
The engine fire bell went off and the N1 and N2 went to zero (unusual for N2). After securing the engine by the book taking two firings of the fire bottles, the extra pilot went back to have a look. He scrunched down to look over the shoulder of a seated passenger and noted a large hole in the side of the engine but not flames. The woman passenger noticed him and asked if that hole was unusual. His reply was that it was only a minor problem and not to worry as they would have it looked at on the ground. Then when he got back to the cockpit he said holy sh** you should see the size of the hole in the side of that engine.