Dom, you just came across as bashing the old guys, and yes I took exception, no harm done. I see your point.
Yes, old guys are probably stubborn, fixed in their ways and being that they're pilots and at the top of their field they do expect the majority of the world to bow down to them, as this has been the norm for them since they reached the top end of the seniority ladder.
There's two viewpoints: 1) that the old foggies need to come back down to earth, (but based on the number of hours they have it would seem that they've spent most of their time up in the air).
2) the young HR departments are...well just that, young, and full of themselves and their belief in their methods.
Frankly I am against the less human and more robotized interviews you get these days. I know of people who read and know enough about modern HR techniques to fool the interviewer, or at least know what they want to hear. So at the end of the day you get guys who are not who they made out to be in the first place. Having said that the interview is not the only thing that'll get you the job, and no doubt you're real personality will shine through at one point or another.