Sh1t you have to be kidding! The session is a place of arrogant assholes who between them might be able to complete one tune.

On the Mudcat you'll sometimes be chatting to the real McCoy.

PVC flutes are better mostly because being so low tech they cost next to nothing and the material so consistent that once a good pattern is found then large quantities are easily made.

They sound about as good as the expensive kind. They suit the beginner since one can scallop the blow hole if it is not quite how the student wants. They are hard as rock, I have driven my truck over a D and it did not break it, squished a wee bit - but it slowly recovered its shape.

Last and for me by far the best of all, you don't need to oil em, in fact that is what you must never do to. Instead a good sloshing with water does the job.

Paying a thousand dollars for a folk flute is insane - IMO - when you can make one for 50 cents- ifn you save wine bottle corks ...which I do.. if not it will cost you 95 cents.

About wooden flutes.
Today blackwood is both rare and very expensive, so folks try other kinds of wood. For the record, on a saturday morning or your dayoffmorning, you can take any new of used implement handle, saw off 20" then bore that out to the desired size - say 5/8"
for a D stick, and finish the job by lunch time. Total cost including   
a quart of beer, 10 dollars. OTOH if you want spotted martian glow tree then you can get a bank loan.

Also it is FUN...