Professional Performers:
Jean Pierre Rampal
James Galway
Emmanuel Pahud
Marcel Moyse
Taffanel
Trevor Wye
Peter Phippen
http://laurabarron.net/resources/flutists.html
Usually pay around $400-600 for a decent beginner flute. Try Yamaha YFL-221, Gemeinhardt 2SP and Jupiter J-511.
In terms of instruments for young students, I usually trust Gemeinhardt, Haynes, Yamaha the most... There are certainly others that work just fine, but those are the ones that I have had the best experience with. More advanced students- Burkart, Powell, Haynes, Yamaha, Maramatsu, Miyazawa, Trevor James, and others. Here is a website for a company that specializes in flutes of all makes and models for different levels of students: http://www.jbwflutes.com/main.asp
www.fluteworld.com - This is my "go to" website for music. They have just about everything for solos, duets, trios, flute ensembles, chamber ensembles, etc- also method books, etudes, studies, etc. They list publishers, compare prices, have brief descriptions and show the difficulty of pieces. This website also has a ton of flute accessories, instruments (used and new) and recordings. It also provides links to flute newsletters and organizations that often have helpful hints and advice.
www.flute4u.com – Can buy instruments, accessories, sheet music, CDs, books, videos, teaching tools, and gifts
http://www.nfaonline.org/ is the link to the National Flute Association's website. All serious flutists should be a member of this organization. They hold a national conference each year, and specialize in everything flute. Literally, everything. There are competitions, newsletters, composers, networks, music, instruments, etc. This is a powerful tool for your more advanced students (even beginners if they want) to build connections with flutists from all over the country (even internationally)- from other students to professors at Juilliard. Also a library with over 15,000 scores to borrow from.
www.larrykrantz.com – Links to flute industry supporters, flute events calendar, teaching tips, flute repertoire, fingerings
Here is a link to the youtube channel of a flute professor named Nina Perlove. Her channel has tons of great videos with masterclasses, lessons, tips, repertoire, improv, and some inspirational vlogs that all instruments could benefit from. http://www.youtube.com/user/ninaflute (you need to click the tab at the top of her page that says "All" to view everything)