A CPR PLT TOOK OFF ON THE WRONG RWY THEN CLBED ABOVE HIS ASSIGNED ALT. HE WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT AND ADMITS THAT HE DID NOT CHK HIS HDG BEFORE STARTING TKOF.

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AT DAL; WHILE HDG NW ON TXWY A AND HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 18; I WAS CLRED TO TKOF ON RWY 13L. I MADE A L 130 DEG TURN ONTO RWY 18; BUT FAILED TO TURN THE ADDITIONAL 50 DEGS TO POS THE ACFT ON RWY 13L. I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AIRFIELD AND DEPARTED THINKING I WAS ON RWY 13L. IMMEDIATELY UPON LIFTOFF THE TWR INFORMED ME THAT I TOOK OFF ON THE WRONG RWY; MENTIONED THE CORRECT RWY (RWY 13L/31R) TOLD TO TURN TO A NEW HDG AND MAINTAIN A NEW ALT OF 2000 FT INSTEAD OF 5000 FT. BY THE TIME ALL THIS TRANSPIRED; I WAS CLBING THROUGH 2000 FT AT TKOF PWR. THE REVISED TKOF TRANSITION INCLUDING CONFIGN CHANGE TO CRUISE; INCLUDING HDG CHANGE; ALT CHANGE; PWR CHANGE; AND CLEAN-UP ITEMS WERE ACCOMPLISHED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. I WAS THEN HANDED TO DEP CTL AND CONTINUED THE WORTH 7; ABILENE TRANSITION DEP TO SANTA ANA; CA. SEVERAL THINGS COULD HAVE POSSIBLY PREVENTED THIS INCIDENT. PRIMARILY; I SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE GND CTLR THAT I WAS 'UNFAMILIAR' AND REQUESTED ASSISTANCE IN PROPERLY TAXIING AND POSITIONING THE ACFT FOR TKOF. MY FAULT LIES IN THE FACT I DID NOT ASK; OR RECHK MY COMPASS HDG. SECONDLY; THE RWY SIGNAGE WAS CONFUSING DUE TO THE SMALL DIFFERENCE BTWN RWY 13L AND RWY 18. THE RWY 13L SIGN ALIGNMENT AS VIEWED FROM RWY 18 IS CONFUSING. ALSO; A SECOND SIGN SHOWING THAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY POSITIONED ON RWY 18 WOULD BE HELPFUL. IT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED DEP. I DID NOT SEE ANY SIGN FOR RWY 18 AT THE INTXN OF RWYS 18 AND 13L. LASTLY; THE TWR CTLR COULD HAVE SEEN WHERE I WAS POSITIONED AND PREVENTED THE DEP -- EVEN DURING THE TKOF ROLL EARLY STAGES. FINALLY; IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL IF SHE WOULD HAVE GIVEN ME ONLY HDG AND; IF NECESSARY; ALT CHANGES AND LEFT THE RWY DISCUSSION FOR A LESS CRITICAL TIME THAN THE TKOF TRANSITION PERIOD.