After analyzing some more examples which came to my mind I think this usage is pretty well alive.
Он стремится в директора. (Stress on "а": в директорА) -> Lit. "He aspires to directors." It means he aims to become a director.
Он метит в президенты. -> Lit. "He aims to presidents." It means he aims to be elected for the presidency.

The latter is interesting. If you replace the "old accusative" with the normal one, you'll get a totally different meaning:
Он метит в президентов. It sounds a bit archaic (because of "метит" verb), but it means the same as "Он целится в президентов" -> He aims at presidents. (I.e. he wants to assassinate a group of presidents). Imagine, there is an international summit where leaders of many countries meet. And a killer with a gun is waiting on the roof of a neighbouring building, он метит в президентов.

Similar contrasts:

Он хочет попасть в министры. -> He wants to "hit into" ministers, he wants to become one of them.
Он хочет попасть в министров. -> He wants to hit the ministers, he wants to kill them with a gun.