Abstract: A mechanism for attachment and detachment of a fixed or controllable airfoil to an airframe includes a base adapted for attachment to a root of the airfoil and a slot beam adapted for attachment along the airframe (e.g., parallel to the longitudinal X-axis of the airframe). The base includes a plurality of pins spaced along and held between parallel rails. The slot beam includes a plurality of slots arranged along the beam. Each slot has a lead-in portion to receive one of the plurality of pins and a longitudinally-oriented tapered portion (e.g., parallel to the longitudinal X-axis with a taper between 1 and 5 degrees) to engage the pin so that the base is seated in the slot beam to position the airfoil against the airframe in an XY plane. A pre-load mechanism is configured to apply a force along the X-axis to press the plurality of pins into the respective tapered portions to fix the base relative to the slot beam in six degrees of freedom (6 DOF).