Hi!! I just started to learn the flute last week I am using a book called "How to play the Flute" by Howard Harrison. I went back to re learn the first few notes multiple times because it sounded off, then actually this morning when i was sure that i wasn't reading the book correctly.... i noticed that i was playing it all wrong and it became much easier for me to play, then on everything sounded much better until I got to the transition of A to B flat note. IT should be A sharp and B flat which sound the same, not A and B flat ? Because going down from B flat, the regular keying for A sound exactly the same. It doesn't seem to matter how I blow in it, which is a little different from the Oboe or Trumpet where sometimes you can tweak your sound with the way you blow on it.

Any advice???? I ordered this flute from Amazon.com Music Haven and I only noticed a small flaw on one of the keys. It looks like rust. but everything else about it seems right.

It could be that a key is sticking on you, either staying closed when it shouldn't, or not closing when it should. When you depress some keys, others will also close as they are connected. Best thing to do is have a technician look at it for you. Its not always a good thing to buy a flute sight unseen online unless you can have it on a trial basis.

Firstly, get a well known name brand flute that you can trust then get private lessons.

Be careful with your fingering as well.
Sometimes, flute players (like moi) press the wrong key on the left thumb.
That could be your problem as well.