A PVT CHEROKEE TOOK OFF OVER THE BACK OF AN ACR B-737 AT DAL.

Narrative

GND GAVE ME CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 13L. AFTER A QUICK SCAN OF THE COMMERCIAL ARPT MAP; I TAXIED NE ALONG ALPHA. THE CTRLINE CURVED TO THE R AND THEN TO THE L; WITH HOLD SHORT LINES AND A RWY HOLD SHORT SIGN ADJACENT. THE SIGH SAID '13L/31R.' THE HOLD SHORT LINES CAME UP SOONER THAN I THOUGHT THEY WOULD; BUT SINCE I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT OR THE APPROX SCALE OF THE COMMERCIAL CHARTS; I DIDN'T THINK TOO MUCH OF IT. I SAW THE HOLD SHORT LINES AND THE SIGN; SO I STOPPED AND DID MY RUN-UP THERE. WHEN I WAS DONE; I CALLED THE TWR AND ADVISED THAT I WAS READY FOR TKOF ON 13L. I RECEIVED CLRNC AND TAXIED ONTO THE RWY. AS I ROLLED ONTO THE RWY; I DOUBLE-CHKED THE SIGN TO MAKE SURE IT SAID 13L. IT DID. AS I WAS IN CLBOUT; APPROX 500 FT; THE TWR CALLED AND ADVISED ME THAT I HAD DEPARTED RWY 18 INSTEAD OF 13L. RWY 18 IS CLOSED. AS I HAVE RETRACED MY STEPS; I FOUND THE HOLD SHORT LINES THAT I STOPPED AT WERE FOR 18-36 AND THE RWY HOLD SHORT SIGN THAT I WAS LOOKING AT WAS THE RWY HOLD SHORT SIGN FOR 13L-13R; BUT IT WAS MEANT FOR TFC ON RWY 18. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT I WAS HOLDING SHORT FOR 13L AT THE END OF ALPHA; WHEN IN FACT I WAS HOLDING SHORT FOR 18 ON ALPHA. MY PERCEPTIONS WERE IMPAIRED BY THE CONSTRUCTION AND UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE ARPT. I WOULD HAVE CALLED THE CTL TWR AND REQUESTED PROGRESSIVE TAXI IF I DOUBTED THE RWY I WAS ON. MY ERROR WAS IN FAILING TO XCHK MY COMPASS HDG WITH THE RWY I WAS ASSIGNED. I DO CHK COMPASS HDGS IF I AM IN DOUBT AS TO THE RWY; BUT I WAS IN NO DOUBT. FROM NOW ON; AS I TAXI ONTO A RWY; I AM GOING TO INCORPORATE THE COMPASS INTO MY NORMAL SCAN OF THE ENG INSTS. THIS WILL AIDE IN DOUBLE-CHKING THE RWY AND MAKE SURE THAT I AM ON THE CORRECT ONE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 268894: ABOUT TO CROSS RWY 18/36. I CLRED THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT AND CALLED OUT 'THERE IS AN ACFT ON THE RWY.' I RADIOED TO GND CTL 'CONFIRM ACR IS CLRED TO CROSS 18.' THE CTLR REPLIED 'ACR CLRED TO CROSS.' AS WE WERE XING THE RWY CTRLINE AT APPROX 5500 FT DOWN RWY 18; THE LIGHT ACFT LIFTED OFF AT APPROX THE FIRST 2000 FT OF THE RWY. THE GND CTLR RADIOED BACK 'HE TOOK OFF ON THE WRONG RWY.' WE EXITED THE RWY BEFORE THE CHEROKEE PASSED OUR POS.