Indeed, thanks all for that 
Flute that breaks the window… would make for a nice title to go with The wind that shakes the barley 
Just to satiate my own curiosity, out of all the qualities that one might look for in a flute (tone, responsiveness, ergonomics, resonance, air requirement, etc.), why is loudness at the top of your list? I’m genuinely curious
Loudness is really a property of the player I think, given a flute that is not going to be overpowered by having a lot of air pushed through it. That means most flutes with larger holes and competently made can be pretty loud in the right hands.
I got a lot of noise out of my Windward keyless Pratten and continue to do so from its’ keyed successor. I have a two part Burns Folk flute which can also be pretty loud and I have a McGee GLP which can carry quite well, but cannot be pushed as hard as the others. That does not make it a worse flute, just that it genuinely is a quieter flute. For that it has other advantages. (Ease of play, responsiveness, light weight, easy hole spacing.) And I can usually manage to hear myself in most sessions on any of them. The exception being some Cruinniu sessions, where I sometimes genuinely couldn’t tell whether my flute was making any noise - totally swamped by lots of other flutes right next to me. I’ve never had that problem in any mixed instrument session though.
Heh heh, I feel a bit of a dill joining in this conversation so late. Agreeing with others above, loudest is usually taken as a Prattens model, due to its big bore. And I happen to have a brand new keyless Prattens sitting on the desk beside me. I’ve added it to my Flutes Available Now page: http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/Avail-flutes.htm
Flute that breaks the window… would make for a nice title to go with The wind that shakes the barley
I think that tune is called “Roaring Jelly”.
My Skip Healy flute packs some serious volume.
I think Skip’s flutes are underrated.
There’s one currently for sale on eBay.
I add my 2 peneth to this . Not worth too much, I’ve played a good few flutes and can get plenty from a flute. (many years playing!!)
I only had a brief go on this flute. It would be nice to hear from anyone with more familiarity on them. A Martin Doyle one of the ones with the foot that flares out on the foot like a bell on a trumpet. It was hard for me to play it without being way too loud. It did seem very unusual. It was very easy to play it very loud. I soon put it down in a minute or two as I found it difficult to do anything much but loud. I expect given the right situation I could have found out what else was possible on it. BTW on my own flute and most flutes I can have a range of ‘voices’ or tones and volumes. It did seem extraordinary from the volume point of view. I’m not wanting to critique the flute as I know Martin is a great maker, but I did not like the tone and I found it too loud. Having said that I had not tried to see what could be got from it. The owner only seems to play whistle when I see him.
Yes I have had one of Martin’s flutes for ages, you have to approach them with a Norniron power diddle intent…
A Martin Doyle one of the ones with the foot that flares out on the foot like a bell on a trumpet. It was hard for me to play it without being way too loud. It did seem very unusual. It was very easy to play it very loud. I soon put it down in a minute or two as I found it difficult to do anything much but loud.
I don’t want to get into an internet flaming war here, but the problem is not that the flute is limited because it’s too loud That’s like saying a Ferrari is too powerful and can only go fast. Doyle flutes can be played sweetly and with a lovely rounded tone. It’s up to the player to supply the necessary finesse.
I have been in sessions with people playing Olwell Prattens and big-bore Hammy flutes that were played way too loud for the player’s skill set. You can’t fault the flute for that. Is harshness built into a flute? Or does the player give their playing the volume, bite and growl that characterizes some fluters?
I have a Olwell nicholson with a fully lined head which, to me, feels incredibly loud and powerful. It was the only flute I had for about 20 years and just assumed they were all this way. And for 20 years I’ve felt like a teenager given the keys to a ferrari and without any driving lessons. As a result, I’ve been a pretty terrible flute player for about 20 years (stopped playing for about 15 years because of it). That’s nothing to do with the flute which, since I’ve come own a few other flutes with different characters, I can see now for what it is - an absolutely exceptional flute which requires a lot of skill, effort and patience to play consistently well. It can be pushed hard, or it can be played sensitively, and it can be hugely expressive - whatever I am capable of, it can match.
I’ve learned that it’s a flute that I need to earn the ability to play well. It is loud, but as you say, for the longest time, too much flute for my level of skill and ability. If I knew then what I know now, I would have started with a more quiet rudall and then eventually gotten something like the Olwell Nicholson. And a tutor!